Weft detector for looms



June 10, 1952 s, s c o 2,600,365

WEF T DETECTOR FOR LOOMS Filed Jan. 23, 1951 INVENTOR. SAMUEL F. SlCll-IANO WK Mu,

Patented June 10, 1952 11 NIT ED STATES .PAT: E N T a WEFT DETECTOR FOR-LOQMS i S mu i a vz te y, B- .:1-,.a i mr.to

George C; Moore "Company, Westerly,"Rf.--I.', a corporationof Rhode Island Appl cati n Janu t 23, Q5l' ria. Noe-12 353,

9 Claims. 1 This invention is an improvement in weft detectors for multi-shuttle narrow fabric looms .of

the kind set forth in my prior Patents No.

2,470,527, granted May 17, 1949, and No. 2,552,498, granted May 8, 1951, for Weft Detectors, and as in such patents has as its object the provision of a novel and improved mechanism of this sort having general utility but especially adapted for use in a narrow fabric loom, employing a plurality of reedsand a plurality of shuttles on the same lay beam to weave a number of. distinct fabrics simultaneously. The main. purpose of the invention is to provide a device which will detect instantly a failure in the weft supply to any one of .the plurality of fabrics being woven, whether such failure is caused by breakage or exhaustion of such weft or comprises slackness in the length of weft extending from the fabric to the shuttle during the beat-up and resulting from failure of the shuttle tension or other causes, and which device will respond to such detection by calling a change in the working of the loom, as by stopping the loom, or by operating an audible or visual signal, or otherwise calling the weavers attention to the fact that the loom needs attention. Further aims of the patented devices, retained in the present invention, are to provide a structure which will operate correctly in spite of changes in the widths of the respective fabrics being woven, and tomake it possible to install the detectors in existing looms with a minimum of effort and change therein and without adding appreciably to the weight of the lay or cluttering the second patent in which a contracting spring of spiral form pulled the feeler member of the weft, detector back after each beat-up of the loom, the springhad some tendency to become tangled with the weft yarns and with the heddles at the point where. it is attached to the special harness which supports and guides the rear end of each feeler member. In the prioiyform comprising a leaf. spring pushing the feeler rearward andmounted on the base or support for the electrically conducting contact strips engaged by h fe er. th s spri h ii-a-tendenqyj ca 2' the wea s ands. .,fi ergwhenrwprk n n theloom as inchangin bobbin ia iwel asit catch and tangle with the yarns from spareb'obbins placed on the breast-beam.

To pre nt be di he,. e1 membe throughout the length thereof which ,travels back and forth through the reed, I,have pr0Yided an additional bracing member which by stitfening this. portion of ,the loop effectually obviates ,deformation at this vital region.

Other aims of the invention, and th e manner of their attainment, are set forth the following description.

As illustrativeembodiment of theinvention is shown in the. accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 .isa fragmentalty iewin pfilsi ective ,indicating the, breast-beam and ,lay of a. ,narrow fabric loom and the shuttle andreedemployed in the weaving of one, of the pluralityof narrow fabrics ,wov n thereon, together with ,the weft detector of the invention.

Fig. 2 is,.a,,diagramshowing the'timer .andthe electricalconnections between the weft feelers and the loom istopimotion The invention is. shown in connection with a narrow fabric loom employing bow, shuttles, though it is equally applicable tostraight, shuttle narrow, fabric looms. Since the reed,.,shutt le, and weft detector shown ,herein i are duplicated and identical ,ateach of the plurality of locations in the length of the laywhere. the respective .narrow fabrics are being woven, onlythe parts involved .in the invention at one such location are shown and described herein, allother partsbeing standard, it being understood that. one of .the novel feelers of the weft-detector is-provi'd ed alongside of each fabric being woven in theclojom. As usual lnmany. instances, thebow shuttle .il carrying thebobbin ,3 on which isfwound the weft 5 travels backand forthrthrough the shed 1 of warps Sin 9. ,curvedpathguided'by partcircular vslots forming a shuttle racein blocks (not shown) supported onrtheback ofthellay H3 ;at eachside of the reed alsosupported. on thelay-ba-Ok all in conventional manner, the shuttle passing back andforth in frontof the creed. Thefabric I3 is drawn-forward over rail 15 on the breast beam l1,- and woundona cloth roll-(-not sh own) under substantial tension. 7

In-applying the invention, a weft feeler Zllis provided preferablymadeout of lightstifiY-steel Wire, inthe h pe of a s mmetrical ol gon lo p ha n a or ard x s nn a ,r a-rw rd e ten i na a isnosedz n her ne ottsax This feeler 2 6! !411 914511:th rea was mafia; 1E

the interval between two dents outside the adjacent final selvage warp. The width of the loop is such as to exceed the height of the shed 1 throughout a portion of the fore-and-aft length of the shed in excess of the length of the excursions of the reed, so that the shuttle i can pass freely through the loop in front of the reed during its travel through the shed 1 without any contact with the loop, the dents of the reed on either side of the loop always holding the latter in a vertical plane.

To perform its detecting functions, the feeler 20 is designed to be moved forward each time the lay heats up with the weft extending in proper taut and unbroken relation from the fell 6 of the cloth to the shuttle when the latter is at the same side of the fabric l3 as the feeler 2B. To this end, the loop of feeler has a bent cross-piece which is engaged by the weft 5 as the latter is beaten into the fell by the reed as the lay reaches front center, and thus the whole feeler '20 is moved forward a fraction of an inch at this instant.

So that the loop 20 will always be maintained vertical, the junction of the forward extension 2| with the diverging portions forming the forward apex of the loop 2!] is located well in advance of the fell 6. Thus the reed can never reach the front end of the loop, and the dents of the reed serve to maintain the loop 2|] always in a vertical plane.

In accordance with the invention the crosspiece 25 is braced by a support or strut 2B fixed at its rear end to the apex of the angle or knee of cross-piece 25 and at its forward end to the loop 20 within the angle 28 at the front end of such loop, i. e. at the meeting point of the two sides of the loop, this support 26 being of the same material as the loop and cross-member. Thus disposed, support 25 holds the angular portion of cross-piece 25 from being bent out of the plane of loop 20, Or of protruding to one side or the other of loop 2|] in case the latter should itself become bent, and thus in either instance keeps the cross-member 25 in line with the direction of extent of the top and bottom members of loop 20 so that the cross-piece cannot bind against thedents I I of the reed which support the weft feeler in its intended vertical plane. Otherwise, in the absence of the brace '26, if the apex of cross-piece 25 should protrude 'sidewise so that the overall horizontal width of the welt feeler 2|] becomes greater than the space through which it moves between the adjacent dents, the weft feeler is carried forward by the reed. instead of by the weft 5 at every beat of the lay, because the feeler jams in the reed, and thus the device loses its power to perform its function of detecting the absence of the welt. The presence of the brace 26 effectually prevents such distortion and resultant failure to function.

To mount the feeler with capacity for forward and rearward sliding movement with respect to the breast-beam, the forward extension 2| is guided and supported in a hole 21 through a strip of metal 29 or other electrically-conductive material secured as by screws 3| on a non-conducting base 33 of wood or other material applied to and fixed on the breast-beam II as by screws 35. A second strip 36 of electrically-conductive material is attached as by screws 31 to the vertical front wall of base :33, with its top edge below the top surface of base 33. The forward extremity of extension 2| is bent down at right angles to provide a finger 22 to make contact with this strip 38 except when the feeler is pushed forward by the weft 5 on beat-up as described.

The rearward extension 23 of the feeler 20 is supported and guided in an eye 39 of one of the wires 4| of a heddle 43 standing ever in fixed position behind the lay.

Further in accordance with the invention, the feeler is maintained in its normal rearward waiting position by a very light expanding coil spring 24 closely surrounding and freely sliding on the forward extension 2|. This spring bears against the rearward face of contact strip 29 as an abutment, adjacent the hole 21 through which the extension 2| slides, while the rearward end of the spring exerts its rearward push against a shoulder formed by the junction of the top and bottom members forming the loop of the weft feeler 20 at the front end of such loop. In this location, spring 24 is forward of the fell 6 and entirely out of range of the warp and weft yarns being woven, as well as the trailing ends of any bobbins which may be temporarily placed on the breast-beam I! by the weaver in readiness for replenishing the weft as the bobbins in the several shuttles become exhausted, and consequently all tangling of the yarns in the spring 24 is effectually prevented.

This spring 24 exerts a yielding rearward push on weft feeler 20 sufiicient to hold the downturned end 22 of the forward extension 2| in contact with strip 36, to prevent the slight tendency of the friction against the adjacent dents of the advancing reed from carrying the feeler forward during beat-up. This push of spring 24 is however too weak to prevent the forward movement of the feeler when the weft 5 is caught in the angle of the portion 25 as the weft is beaten into the fell, and thus on every other pick the finger 22 is removed from contact with strip 33 so long as the weft remains in good working order, in unbroken extent from the fell to the shuttle eye and properly tensioned by the friction device in the shuttle. But if the weft is broken or has run out, or is too slack, it will fail thus to move the feeler forward at this phase of the looms cycle, and the finger 22 will remain in contact with strip 36.

In order to get a detecting impulse from this result of a defective weft, strips 29 and 36 are respectively made conducting elements of an electrical circuit actuating a shipper knockoff, or loom stop-motion, this circuit being completed as between these two strips by the contact of finger 22 with strip 36 and that of the extension 2| with the interior of the hole 21 in the strip 29. Thus, strip 29 is connected by wire 41, Figs. 1 and 2, with one terminal of the low side of a step-down transformer 49, Fig. 2, supplying 12 to 18 volt current taken from high voltage mains 5| connected with a suitable source of power (not shown) while strip 36 is connected by wire 53 with one terminal of an electrically actuated loom stop-motion 55. The other terminal of the stop-motion is connected by leads 51, 59, to the other terminal of the low voltage side of transformer 49, through a switch 6| which is actuated mechanically in timed relation to the looms cycle in such manner that the current can pass switch 3| and thus flow through the circuit only as the lay arrives at front center to effect the heat-- ing up of the pick which has been laid in from right to left of the cloth. That is, the circuit is energized only as the lay reaches front cente on every other pick.

The timing switch 6|, which thus limits the response of the circuit including the loom stopmotion 55 to the brief period during which the weft feelers 28 of the plurality of reeds disposed across the lay should be moved forward by the respective wefts if the latter are in proper working condition, is actuated from any suitable or preferred going part on the loom, herein by means of a cam 63 fixed on the loom cam-shaft 65, which shaft makes one rotation for every two cycles of the lay. Thus the rise of cam 63 rocks a bell-crank lever e1 counterclockwise about a pivot 69, suitably mounted on a fixed part of the loom, such lever pushing in the spring plunger H of switch 6i to close such switch, each time the lay reaches front center with the shuttles I standing at the left side of the respective fabrics being woven thereby, namely at every other beat-up of the lay. In this way, the contact of the feeler fingers 22 with contact strip 36 normally occurring throughout the entire working of the loom except at the moments when the simultaneous testing of the several wefts by the feelers takes place, is nullified and rendered ineffective to stop the loom. As is obvious, it is only when the circuit is closed simultaneously by the finger 22 of a feeler and the switch Bl that the stop-motion acts to stop the loom; and this simultaneous closure of the circuit at two points can occur only at the beat-up of a pick laid in from right to left. The result is that a failure of the weft weaving in one of the plurality of fabrics in the loom instantly calls the change in the manner of operation of the loom, hereby stopping the loom.

While I have illustrated and described certain forms in which the invention may be embodied, I am aware that many modifications may be made therein by any person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the particular forms shown, or to the details of construction thereof, but what I do claim is:

1. A weft feeler for narrow fabric looms having a shuttle, the weft feeler having a loop through which the shuttle passes, a weft-engaging element located within the loop, and a support for such element affixed to the element and to the forward extremity of the loop.

2. A weft feeler for narrow fabric looms having a shuttle, the weft feeler having spaced sides defining a loop through which the shuttle passes, such sides being joined in forwardly converging relation, a weft-engaging element extending from side to side across the loop, and having means for such element fixed to the latter at an intermediate point in the latters length and to the sides at their point of junction with each other.

3. A weft feeler for narrow fabric looms having a shuttle, the weft feeler having rearwardly diverging sides between which the shuttle passes, a weft-engaging element extending from one such side to the other and bent to form an angle intermediate its length, and bracing means joined to the apex of the angle of such element and to the sides at the latters forward ends.

4. A weft feeler for narrow fabric looms having a breast beam, a reed, and a shuttle, the weft feeler comprising in combination, a loop extending through the reed through which loop the shuttle passes, a forward extension slidably supported on the breast beam, a weft-engaging element inside the loop disposed in the plane of the loop and within the scope of the travel of the reed, the junction of the loop with the forward extension lying beyond the said scope, and a bracing member fixed to the loop at such junction and to the weft-engaging element and disposed in the plane of the loop.

5. In a narrow fabric loom having a breast beam, a lay, a reed, and a shuttle carrying weft in combination, a weft feeler having a loop through which the shuttle passes and a portion engaged by the weft extending from the shuttle and a, forward extension slidably supported by the breast beam, and an expanding spring coiled around such extension and bearing against a portion on the breast beam and resisting forward movement of the weft feeler by the reed.

6. In a narrow fabric loom having a breast beam, a lay, a reed, and a shuttle carrying weft and contact elements on the breast beam, in combination, a weft feeler having a loop through which the shuttle passes and a portion engaged by the weft extending from the shuttle and a forward extension slidably supported by the breast beam, and an expanding spring coiled around such extension and bearing against a contact element and resisting forward movement of the weft feeler by the reed.

7. In a narrow fabric loom having a breast beam, a reed, a shuttle carrying weft, and contact elements on the breast beam, in combination, a weft feeler having a passage therethrough for the shuttle, the weft feeler having a portion engaged by the weft extending from the shuttle and a portion extending through one of the contact elements, and an expanding spring coiled about the latter portion, bearing against the said one of the contact elements and holding the weft feeler rearward except when pushed forward by the weft.

8. In a narrow fabric loom having a breast beam, a reed, a shuttle carrying weft, and contact elements on the breast beam, in combination, a weft feeler comprising a portion extending slidably through one of the contact elements, a portion extending between two dents of the reed and engaging such dents at vertically spaced points, and a weft-engaging surface in connection with the latter portion, and a spring surrounding the first portion between the said one contact element and the other portion and holding the feeler yieldingly rearward.

9. In a narrow fabric loom having a breast beam, a reed, a shuttle carrying weft, and contact elements on the breast beam, in combination, a weft feeler comprising a portion extending slidably through one of the contact elements, a portion extending between two dents of the reed and engaging such dents at vertically spaced points, and a weft-engaging surface in connection with the latter portion, and spring means located intermediate the length of the weft feeler and forward of the fell of the fabric being woven, bearing against a surface on the breast beam and holding the weft feeler yieldingly rearward.

SAMUEL F. 'SICILIIMIO- No references cited. 

